Morris Dancers

I know, I know, I haven't posted anything for ages! I am alive & so is Winchester.

Here is a photo of some Morris Dancers taken last weekend in The Square

Mayfest

Yesterday was Mayfest in Winchester, a celebration of traditional and contemporary music, dance and song. In the High Street they had a couple of Morris Dancing groups. I think of it as a very traditional English dance, although it's not something I've ever done, nor anyone I know of! There were some other Morris Dancers I featured on the blog back in December 2010. As you can see from the sky it's been glorious weather here most of the week!

Bunting a-go-go

Winchester High Street was full of Union Jack Flags this morning. A lot of the shops have royal/British themed window displays. This of course is for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee marking 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The main Diamond Jubilee celebrations will centre around the extended bank holiday weekend of  2-5 June.

As an aside the weather here today was cold, I'm a bit of a wimp weather-wise but I was wearing my winter coat and I was still cold....and it's nearly June!

Halloween on its way!

I always think of Halloween as an American invention, or at least much more popular in the States! As a kid back in the early 80's I did go trick or treating once and a lot of people didn't know seem to know what we were doing! There are a few houses with pumpkins outside but around the corner from me I spotted this house really taking the Halloween theme seriously!

P is for Phone Box

You don't see so many of these old style phone boxes - doesn't everyone have a mobile phone now? This one is pre 1939 designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and was given listed building status in 1987. However its elevation to this great height has not stopped its current condition, a pane of glass missing and something sprayed on the other windows (which seems to be a bit of a theme in Winchester - vandals like their privacy!) An interesting link between the designer of these telephone boxes is that his grandfather Sir George Gilbert Scott was the man who restored The Buttercross in Winchester.

For more 'P' related posts see ABC Wednesday

Post Box

May's theme photo at City Daily Photo is 'mailboxes' - I have already posted on the most interesting post box in Winchester not so long ago, so I thought I'd choose a different one. This a Wallbox style post box, it differs from a pillar box as it is not free standing. It bears the initials of the monarch at the time King George.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Royal Wedding

So this isn't really a photo from Winchester is it... but couldn't let this moment pass without incorporating it in my blog!

Infact Winchester does have a small claim to fame in all the Royal Wedding fever - according to the Guardian Newspaper Winchester "could justifiably claim to be the most patriotic town in the UK with 23 applications for Royal Wedding street parties".

Personally, along with the majority of people in the UK, I like having a royal family with all the history attached to it and I hope William & Kate will be very happy together.

St Patrick's Day

Happy St Patrick's Day! Every city seems to have an Irish bar or pub, and here is Winchester's. It's O'Neills. O'Neill's is part of a chain which have quite a few establishments throughout the UK. I'm not sure if real Irish people go into these places but I have been in here once and it's a actually a reasonably nice bar and quite big as you can see. I'm sure they will be serving a few Guinesses tonight.

The Masons

Here we can see the Old Masonic Lodge of Winchester which was part demolished in 1990 to make way for the newsagents WH Smiths, but we still see today the masonic symbols on the outside.

Inside there the shop there are some interesting wall paintings depicting scenes from Winchester's history, for example the one below is the story of King Alfred and the burnt cakes. Not doing too well in his fight with the Danes, King Alfred was forced to travel anonymously and seek lodging in a peasant woman's hut. Not knowing he was the King she asked him to mind her cakes cooking on the fire, unfortunately King Alfred let his thoughts wander and the cakes burned, and the peasant woman gave her king a good telling off..not quite sure of the moral of the story ... don't let a King look after your cakes maybe?!

The second painting is of Bishop William of Wykeham building Winchester College

Morris Dancers

On a Saturday (in particular one just before Christmas) the High Street is full of street entertainers of one sort or another. Here were a group of festively dressed Morris dancers collecting for the Naomi House Hospice. Morris Dancing is a traditional English dance, usually involving choreographed dancing in a group, sometimes with sticks, bells and handkerchiefs.

Winchester Cathedral Choir

Taken on Remembrance Sunday here are the choir, various church people (excuse my ignorance!) and members of the Army Cadet Corps outside Winchester Cathedral.

Lone Bugler

Taken on Remembrance Sunday on the balcony of Winchester Cathedral

Winchester's got the X Factor!

Winchester is pitching itself as England's Christmas capital, with its Christmas Market, ice rink, live nativity and carols at the cathedral and today to start it all off  the Christmas lights have been turned on today by X-Factor band The Reason!

Remembrance Sunday

This must have been a good shot - look at the professionals to the left...

Hampshire Chronicle report

Fireworks in Winchester - Guy Fawkes Night

The Firework display in Winchester was held on 6th November. Fireworks and bonfires take place across the UK on or around the 5th November to remember the failed Gunpowder Plot to assassinate James 1.

"Remember remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot... "
History of Guy Fawkes night